Text Lingo: Languages Change, Education Helps

As languages develop and change, students need to learn these innovations but also benefit from learning the foundations as well. Abbreviations used in text messages are becoming more prevalent, so the need for proper education in languages is becoming more important. Text lingo has its detractors, such as journalist John Humphrys, who has said this new way of communicating is ‘wrecking our language.’ The ambiguity of text speak can be illustrated by the abbreviation LOL, which can mean ‘lots of love’ or ‘laugh out loud.’ This is a prime example of how important traditional education is in the fast-paced world of language development.

A good language teacher will be able to combine tried and tested methods with more modern approaches to learning. As well as taking part in classroom learning, students can discover more about how their chosen language is changing by reading contemporary books. The vocabulary and sentence structure can be compared with novels from earlier periods, to understand how the language has developed over the centuries.

As well as reading, foreign language students should watch current TV shows. Thanks to the internet, you don’t even need to be in the country itself to tune in to local programmes. However, by taking classes in the mother country, such as taking English courses in London, you will get a much better feel for how the language is developing by being amongst local people. Schools like UIC London offer a range of English courses as well as European and Asian languages too.

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Social Networking is now a Part of BLC Curriculum

Students are now taking advantage of BLC’s new programme, Planet Bubble, an online programme that incorporates social networking.

Planet Bubble merges the rigour of the classroom-learning environment with the entertainment and utility of social media and networking. On Planet Bubble students can learn contemporary forms of internet English, while also chatting live with others students, engaging with current events and popular themes as well as picking up a few jokes. More importantly, the programme can be accessed from anywhere. As long as you have filled out your enrolment form you can learn on Planet Bubble wherever you can find an internet connection.

The inception of Planet Bubble is a demonstration of BLC’s commitment to incorporating forms of social media into their curriculum and learning environment. They recognise that the internet is not only used for personal interaction but is also a large part of many business models, making it essential for English students to learn.

BLC follows its own advice and has a strong internet presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They hope through these pages that students will be able to keep current on events around the school, as well as network with other students. A school presence online makes clear that English for BLC is not just what you get in a textbook but also is the living and evolving English of the internet and the world. Planet Bubble is a part of their push to prepare students to take advantage of these new forms of communication. Phrases such as ROFL, LOL, Tweet and Facebook-ed have a social currency among native speakers that BLC students need to be able to take advantage of. If they learn these phrases they can communicate comfortably in online situations.

In terms of an education, an English school with a commitment to social networking and media is probably the best place to go. Programmes like Planet Bubble make it possible to learn English no matter where you are. All you need is to fill out the enrolment form to start. For studying English as a foreign language Bristol could be a great place to go. It doesn’t matter if you looking to start learning English, need to brush up on some term-specific language for business, require teacher training or need pre-sessional programmes UK based BLC is one of the many well-recognised institutions. With an emphasis on social media’s place in current English language education students are better able to communicate on the world wide web.

About BLC BLC offers a wide range of quality courses from General and Intensive course, examination courses, Business English, to university preparation and juniors group programmes. They use up to date methods, excellent materials, a great teaching team, small class sizes, a personal study plan and one to one tutorials meaning that your English skills will improve quickly.

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Supporting Students With Our Masters Funding Awards

It’s no secret that the costs of post-graduate study are increasing all the time and that many students need a financial head start to set them on the right road. As such, FindAMasters.com are extremely proud to announce the launch of our brand new funding awards. The bursaries, which total £5,000, are available to students of any nationality and across a range of subject areas.

There are nine awards on offer including one general prize and a further eight that are subject- specific. In order to qualify for consideration people must be intending to start study at an institution within the EU in autumn 2012.

For nearly ten years FindAMasters.com has been helping students find their way into the world of post-graduate study. Its easily searchable database features over 17,500 courses from more than 400 universities worldwide, making it an unbeatable resource for those looking to find exactly the right course for them in exactly the right location. It also contains a wealth of help and advice on every aspect of post-graduate study.

Andy Pritchard, Managing Director at The Science Registry commented “These awards are a natural continuation of our commitment to helping students at every stage of their post-graduate journey.”

Registration for the awards is now open, with the formal application process beginning in June. More information is available at: http://www.findamasters.com/fundingawards/.

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The Co-operative’s Lasting Legacy For Young People With A Learning Disability

Young people across the UK with a learning disability have been given over £7 million opportunities to help to realise their potential as The Co-operative unveiled the total amount raised for its charity of the year during 2011.

The grand total reached £7,022, 866 and, the money raised by The Co-operative’s staff, members and customers will allow Mencap and sister charity ENABLE Scotland to launch ‘Inspire Me’ – a new project to provide activities and training that will give thousands of young people with a learning disability the chance to learn new skills and gain access to employment and volunteering opportunities in their communities.

Austin Healey, the former England rugby union player – and a Mencap celebrity ambassador – was on hand as The Co-operative announced the fundraising figure and, actors Sarah Jayne Dunn and Darren Langford also attended the celebration. The figure is the most ever raised by The Co-operative during one of its charity of the year campaigns and, is the highest figure received by Mencap from such a partnership.

Peter Marks, Group Chief Executive of The Co-operative, said: “Eight out of ten children with a learning disability are bullied. Young people with a learning disability face prejudice every day and a lack of opportunities which can make life a desperate struggle.

“The Co-operative is a national brand, but our roots have always been in the community and, it is this shared commitment to community projects that sets us apart. This money will leave behind a lasting legacy for a generation of young people with a learning disability. I am thrilled to say that together, we have been able to take a massive stride towards creating a cultural shift in the way young people are viewed and treated in this country – a key objective of our commitment to “Inspiring Young People”.

Across the country, The Co-operative – which has a retail outlet in every postal region and operates businesses including food, financial services, pharmacy, legal services, funeralcare and farming – has seen its staff, members, customers and suppliers, who were central to the success of raising this amazing amount, put the fun into fundraising. A Santa Dash and abseil, cycle rides, marathons and even a charity single by an employee band featuring Group Chief Executive of The Co-operative, Peter Marks, on drums kept the money flowing in for this worthwhile cause during 2011.

Mark Goldring, Mencap’s Chief Executive, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support shown by everyone in The Co-operative Group, their fundraising efforts and generosity have made the partnership a great success. I would like to thank the staff, members and customers for helping to raise such a fantastic sum of money which will give thousands of young people with a learning disability the chance to change their future.”

Peter Scott, ENABLE Scotland’s Chief Executive, continued: “We have been astonished at the commitment shown by The Co-operative Group, employees, members and customers. The creativity and generosity of staff has been quite remarkable, and the money raised will give thousands of young people who have a learning disability the opportunity to build a brighter future. ENABLE Scotland would like to thank each and every person who has contributed over the course of the partnership.”

“Inspire Me” will work with local communities to change negative attitudes towards young people with a learning disability. Support will also be available for parents, families and carers with information events on issues including supported living, benefits and leisure activities.

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Huge Demand Inspires Edulabs to Reschedule Critical Webinar Series on Tablet Buying for Education

Edulabs Learning Solutions Ltd., a leading Thai-based innovator of 21st Century electronic teaching systems (www.edulabsglobal.com), has received overwhelmingly positive daily responses and a higher-than-anticipated demand for its “must attend” Webinar series. The Webinar www.edulabsglobal.com/webinar) cover CRUCIAL considerations that buyers of tablets for educational institutions MUST understand before buying. The Webinars became immediately over-subscribed at launch, and so Edulabs Global has decided to re-launch the Webinar series with new times and dates in order to accommodate the increased interest and demand for registered seats.

Gregory Pommerenk, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Edulabs Learning Solutions, Ltd., explains, “There is no doubt that the world-wide demand and excitement for Tablet computers and Smartphones in education is growing stronger and stronger each and every day, and has fueled this increased interest in Edulabs’ Webinar series. With this also comes the need for knowledge and information that will assist the educational communities around the world to make sure that the money they are about to collectively spend is invested wisely, effectively and accurately.”

The digital learning revolution

Schools around the world are starting to proactively adopt mobile learning programs and initiatives, establish or upgrade their broadband infrastructures and also replace traditional textbooks with digital textbooks at an unprecedented rate. Top online learning institutions such as www.learning.com and www.epals.com have created eLearning material which has revolutionized the global education industry.

It is estimated by respected research organizations that in the K-12 (Primary and Secondary) educational sector alone, there will be a need for in excess of 200 million Tablet computers and over 400 million Smartphones within the next 3-5 years. This is not including the huge need and demand in developing countries and underdeveloped areas of countries such as China, India and Brazil, which affects hundreds of millions of school-aged children and teens.

Explosion in educational demand for eLearning solutions.

In today’s interconnected and inter-dependent globalized world, the global community at large has finally awoken to the fact that having billions of uneducated and unskilled people, especially youth, affects the entire world, and is subsequently striving more proactively than ever to improve the state of education amongst youths. Edulabs Global feels that all of these additional areas are poised to soon explode in terms of demand. The countries of Africa, China, India, Brazil and many ASEAN countries have combined populations in excess of 3 billion people, of which hundreds of millions of youth desperately need much improved and affordable educational solutions.

Subsequently, more digital educational content and applications are becoming available at affordable prices and more and more verifiable studies are proving the value of digital web-based education. This in turn prompts more countries, especially developing counties, to get wired with hi-speed infrastructures that are finally including even the most remote and previously unwired areas of these countries.

New times and dates for Edulabs Webinar Series

The new Webinar times and dates will be announced via our website and a formal press release during the week of February 20th, 2012. In addition to the impressive list of guest presenters and speakers that are already confirmed to attend, Edulabs is also in the process of adding several additional Tablet and Smartphone, Cyber-safety, Edu-tech and Digital Contents and Applications (including Digital Textbooks) companies that wish to participate in the Webinar series.

Please stay tuned to the Edulabs web site and news wires for upcoming announcements regarding the new times and dates of the Webinar series, and take part in these“cannot miss” exciting events!

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iWonder Pro Enterprise Offers Device Surveillance and Management for Schools for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Schools and businesses that issue iPad, iPhone or other iOS devices to their students or staff now have a way to control where those devices can go on the internet, monitor where they have been, and lock them down to only appropriate sites.

Life Record Technologies, creators of the consumer based iWonder Pro application to control and monitor children on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices, releases the first enterprise level surveillance and control software for schools, hospitals and businesses.

“With the release of iBooks 2 featuring text book support by Apple Inc. its inevitable that schools will now start issuing iPads to students and staff as regularly as they issue text books today.”, says Michael Pike, Chief Software Architect of Life Record Technologies. “We’ve also noticed a lot of healthcare facilities deploying iPads to their staff, and our software allows all of the devices to be managed, observed and secured with ease.”

iWonder Pro Enterprise allows schools and businesses with as little as one iOS device, with up to 10,000 devices to manage them all in one place, including profiles to let certain types of users go to certain types of sites while restricting the others while using any Wifi or cellular network. iWonder Pro Enterprise is the first and only enterprise level surveillance system designed specifically for iOS.

iWonder Pro Enterprise is available now in the Apple App Store starting at $99.99.

More information can be obtained from the iWonder Pro Enterprise website at http://www.iwonderpro.com.

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New Public Class Fosters Social-Emotional Skills in Children

Mariposa Child Success Programs, a nonprofit organization that promotes the healthy development of children, will be offering a class to the public on how to foster social-emotional competence in children. Promoting Social-Emotional Competence: Managing Behaviors and Improving Performance will begin on February 9, 2012 at the new Union Mill complex in Hampden and will continue for eight weeks.

The course will be taught by Dr. Anne Townsend and Dr. Harriette Wimms, Mariposa’s Chief Academic Officer and Lead instructor respectively. The course trains adults in Mariposa’s unique process for increasing social-emotional competence in children, including interpersonal and learning-related social skills, and reducing problem behaviors through a skills-based model for adult interactions.

This course offering is an extraordinary opportunity for an adult to learn how to develop and apply five key skills that can make a great impact on children’s lives. Participants will have access to numerous journal articles, books, instructor examples, role plays, Mariposa workbooks, skills application exercises, and more.

This presentation of the course – typically available only on an institutional basis – is open to the public will follow a weekly schedule, occurring every Thursday night from 5:30-7:30pm. For more information or to register for the class, please contact Emalee Rodriguez at erodriguez@mariposaeducation.org.

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